MINISTER OF HEALTH COMMENTS ON BMDA WITHDRAWAL FROM TASK FORCE

January 24, 2007

On Monday the Belize Medical and Dental Association withdrew its representation from the task force appointed to provide recommendations to Cabinet on the K-H-M-H - Universal Health Services matter. Yesterday, Minister of Health Jose Coye stated that it was all a misunderstanding and the involvement of the Medical and Dental Association was to provide recommendations on the health aspect of it – and nothing else.

Hon Jose Coye: Minister of Health

“Yes, I understand that they have made such a decision to withdraw from the task force and perhaps understandable so because when the task force was set up were to advice from the Ministry of Health internally first as to certain matters that the cabinet would need in moving forward this change in terms of the health system.What happened is that when the team met for what we considered to be the consultative process the representatives from the Medical Association was brought into that forum where the then terms of reference was expanded to include the financial matter such as the costing and the need for financial statement but that was not something that was within the portfolio of the Ministry of Health – that was not our jurisdiction. We were only to see at the health aspect of it.” 

Coye said that the financial matters were to be left to the government.

Hon Jose Coye: Minister of Health

“Because what happened, when they went about taking the terms of reference into financial matters they asked Universal who was sitting in that forum to provide them with that financial information, apparently at the time Universal agreed to do so but they did not provide the information and form that arise the differences and it was then that we realized indeed that was to be a consultation not for us to get into the financial matters – that was a separate matter.This is still important and I would want to say that from the Ministry of Health perspective I would want to we continue to have consultations in regards to the move and all the inputs that we need – the health input and the financial input.We are engaged in the health aspect of it and that is the one we want the recommendations on.” 

Love News asked Minister Coye if the withdrawal of the association will affect the process.

Hon Jose Coye: Minister of Health

“No, except to say that we want to engage with each other because doctors and nurses are essential in the health care and certainly with a move like this for the government to take over a tertiary health provider we would want to hear from the doctors and nurses – what will be their concerns for that move.  I would say that we must continue to have dialogue and we can address those concerns in the event of a change.”

Doctor Martha Habet from Belize Medical and Dental Association said although they have withdrawn their representative from the task force, they would still like to see certain things take place. The B-M-D-A is recommending that the government find the financial resources to upgrade the K-H-M-H and the regional hospitals to better benefit the Belizean population. Habet says they are also asking the government to conduct an immediate audit of the Universal Health Services to determine the assets of the company. Minister Coye said the recommendations should have been ready by mid January but should be completed before too long.

Hon Jose Coye: Minister of Health

“We set a date for January eleventh and then it was extended to January fifteenth simply because the recommendation that we had anticipated then was to be through a consultative process if the move would had any implications and that is why we engage the doctors and nurses through their associations to give us those views but because they had extended the terms of reference to deal with financial matters. That could be ready within a day or two because that is what we are asking for and the others will take more time in the sense that once the decisions has been implemented for the take over and that has not been done and that we expect to be done shortly, that is when the government takes over and then is when we can do more work that needs to be done with in a time frame set by the Government.”

Minister of Health Jose Coye.

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